Understanding
by Vet the Lord of Great Sorrows
Summary: Mike's just a guy looking for some extra money to get himself and his daughter the hell out of America. Foxy only wants some closure before he and the other animatronics are inevitably shut down. Mike's daughter, Rachel, gets involved and all, including the three band animatronics, come to wonder if there is more to their predicament than they ever realised...
1. Night 1: Enter Mike and Foxy

**So yeah, I recently got into FNAF's. This is a little fic surrounding the first game, don't know how long it will be but there will probably be a sequel if I ever get it done since FNAF's 2 is out. This particular fic is about Foxy- I imagine he's overdone by now, but there yah go- and how, through the new security guard (Mike) he comes to the conclusion that he and the other animatronics don't have to be monsters. There will be one, and only one, OC: Mike's daughter, Rachel. She will be a driving force behind this story. I won't give that 'Don't like don't read' BS, I am quite welcome to criticism and such. Flaming will not be appreciated but what can I do, I'm probably halfway across the world from whoever's reading this anyway.**

**Five Nights at Freddy's: Understanding**

**Chapter 1**

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><p>Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. What a place.<p>

Mike Schmidt didn't quite know why the heck he had chosen to be nightguard at this place; it was bizarre that it had managed to carry on running all these years. Especially after the whole '87 incident. He walked in through the doors, the lights were very dim and the joint just felt...gloomy. The man of thirty two felt a momentary pang of sadness; he'd used to come here often as a kid. He'd adored watching the animatronics doing their little band thing and free-roaming, entertaining everyone. His favourite had been Foxy at the Pirate Cove area; he'd always wanted to be a pirate back then and the robotic fox had hardly helped to discourage this notion. Of course, the Bite of '87 happened and his mother had gotten paranoid to the point where she never let him go back to the pizzeria ever again. He hadn't even been there when the incident had occured. He'd been grief-stricken for a whole year, especially when he found out from some friends that his favourite animatronic had gone out of order, but eventually just got used to life without Freddy's.

As he got older he had heard of another incident regarding the mysterious disappearences of five children and some guy dressed up in a Freddy Fazbear costume being behind it. That day Mike had just shaken his head; one of his old favourite places in the whole world was slipping away from it's former brilliance. He had long left his home area, gotten a job, been married. He even had a kid now. Of course the relationship had gone awry when his wife, Maureen, had turned out to be completely psychotic and ended up packed into a mental institute short of nearly strangling him and their child, Rachel.

Rachel had gotten a little quiter after that and Mike could no longer hold onto his job, so he had decided to move back to his mother's with Rachel until he could get a better job. His mother, a kind but traditional woman, had taken them in gladly but warned Mike that he had to find a job soon, she couldn't afford to look after him as well. Mike started looking for a job, any job, and unknown to him Rachel, now sixteen years old, had started going to Freddy Fazbear's- which was, amazingly, still running but in nowhere near as good a state as it had been before. The teenager had always heard of Freddy's from her father when he used to tell about his childhood, and had taken a liking to it. Mike hadn't known of this until she had off-handedly suggested to him that he work there, since they were apparently looking for a night guard.

And so here he was. He hadn't been too annoyed with her about not telling him, he saw no reason to be, but his mother had sternly told the girl to stop going there. "Place is cursed, I tell you," she had murmured irritably. "Down in the dumps, down on it's luck, it's just not safe anymore. It's going to be shut-down end of this year, you know that? You be careful too, Mike. I know you need a job, but that joint..."

It had been relatively easy signing up. He had met the manager- a balding, tired looking man named Joseph- and the contract had been signed within minutes. The wage was paltry and quite below average, but Mike wasn't a choosy fellow. He was a man of few words, and the only thing on his mind was earning them enough money to hopefully get out of the states and settle in a country abroad.

Walking across the party hall from the entrance he glanced up at the animatronics on stage; they were silent and unmoving. For now. Mike had been told that apparently, the robotic animals were malfunctioning and moving about at nightime; no real issue, all he had to do was slam down a couple of doors and he'd be alright. Though there was also the issue of power? He shrugged to himself; better to find out. He looked away from them; he'd probably be seeing them up close and personal soon like he used to as a kid. The idea creeped him out but he could do little about it; besides, they were kids attractions. What could go wrong?

Passing Pirate Cove, he noticed the curtains were closed and a "Sorry! Out of order" sign was outside it. He looked longingly at it; even now he wished his old favourite hadn't gone through the controversy it had. He couldn't see a thing, though, and with a low sigh he moved on, and down the hallway, into the office. Taking a look at his shabby surroundings, he checked his watch; 11:59. Better get started. He sat down in the chair, and took out the screen that would allow him to access the camera's remotely, taking note of the battery power flickering on the side. He'd have to be careful with that.

The digital clock on the screen showed 12:00, and then came the first phonecall.

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><p>As soon as Mike had entered the office, the animatronics dropped their facade. Bonnie and Chica were the first to actually move, flexing their forms as Freddy merely watched them, not moving anything except his eyes. Bonnie looked at him, and the bear nodded. The purple rabbit proceeded to move off-stage, as did Chica, and they moved their seperate ways. There was an endoskeleton about that needed stuffing, once again...<p>

As the three band animatronics plotted to kill the 'endoskeleton', the one neglected sat in the shadows of his little Pirate Cove, not bothering to look through the curtains. Foxy was mildly apathetic. Yet another human came in, another animal for the slaughter, and once again he would have to bear witness to another innocent killing. He was steadily starting to care less and less for the humans- it was fine for the others. They thought every security guard was an endo, but Foxy knew better. He always had. He used to love the children; he had spent more time with them in the past as Pirate Cove's titular pirate than the other three ever had. He knew humans. He knew what they felt and looked like, enough to go beyond his accursed programming. He had to deal with a guilty conscience every time the others killed a guard, but he envied them somewhat- for as long as they saw the guards as an endoskeleton they would be guilt-free. They loved humans and children too, and never once in the daytime did they harm anyone- Foxy unfortunately was the one exception, but that was an accident.

He could hardly be blamed for some stupid kid climbing up into the Cove and onto him; he hadn't minded, he quite loved children, as mentioned before. But the girl had been frisky, started pulling at random exposed wires and metallics, and for his own defense he eventually was forced to pull her off. Before he put her back down though- and gently, he might add- she had pulled one last circuit that caused an electric pulse to override some other circuits and the next thing he knew his jaw was lodged in the girl's skull, and in a fit of panic he pulled out only to deal more damage still. That incident back in '87 had cost Foxy and his companions any chance of free-roaming in the day again, and worse, Foxy his own performances.

He had since fallen into disrepair, and the others had started to move about at nightime as compensation for being unable to do so during the day. They weren't bad; they really, really weren't and he was glad they still visited him sometimes, but they just couldn't seem to process that they were murdering an innocent human everytime they tried to stuff him into a Freddy Fazbear suit, even when Foxy tried to tell them that they had gotten it all wrong. They didn't believe him, and he was left, rejected, to listen as they went and terrified the guards until said guards inevitably died. Once or twice he tried to intervene, and sprinted down the corridor to the office to warn them- just his luck that the guard typically got frightened out of their mind by this act and often bolted out of the room, straight into the arms of another animatronic. Foxy would then be congratulated for his 'help' and the human would promptly be stuffed into a suit and killed. Foxy would probably spend the next few days intensely hating himself, but he was starting to cope now. He realised that there really was no point anymore and it was probably better to just let his companions kill the guards; he would even throw in the odd sprint to the door every now and then just to add his two cents and keep Freddy happy, who often got annoyed the longer the 'endoskeleton' evaded them.

They were good. All of them were, anyone who got to know them would be able to see it, but unfortunately the three band-members lacked simple...understanding. And Foxy was steadily becoming a nihilist. As the new guard entered the premises and looked momentarily at Foxy's quarters, the animatronic was curious enough to wonder why the other had lingered, but not enough to have a peek. In the end he was another person waiting to be stuffed, and that was one more death to add to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza's reputation. Apparently they were going to close.

Foxy hoped not. No matter how bad things were, he didn't want to be shut down. He didn't want to...die. He was a machine, yet he had thoughts; he was not alive, but he at the same time..._was. _He wanted to figure out what it was that had kept them alive for so long; he was fairly sure there weren't any other animatronics like them that were so lively. So...humanlike, sometimes. He had the oddest flashes of memory, strange as it sounded, of being a child. It was absurd; he had always been an animatronic. But...he couldn't quite figure out when he had become sentient. In anycase, too many things were unanswered and Foxy wanted too much to see if he could still redeem himself and his friends for this place to close, and for them all to be just shut down.

But what could he do? If he could sigh, he would have done so in rather much of a rejected manner. He couldn't even speak properly like the others anymore, since his jaw was broken. They understood him but it got annoying. He just brought his knees to his chest and waited for the chaos to start. Maybe, for the sake of his slipping caring for humanity, he could try and get this human to learn some sense, stay alive and get the heck out of the place. It would make him feel better before he was shut down if he could at least do something good for himself.

That settled it. If the guard survived the first night, then he, Foxy, would try to keep him safe. He only hoped it would work this time.

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><p><strong>So yeah, that's the first chapter. Not much, just to establish where everything stands. I will write more of it, hope you like, and please review. It will give me the incentive to carry on, which I really do want to.<strong>


	2. Night 1: Tears and Desperation

**Here's another chapter, I am actually amazed at the views this got. FNAF's truly popular, it seems. And in response to Blaze and for anyone else who might be wondering, Golden Freddy...will be in the story. But not quite in the fashion you imagined.**

**Five Nights at Freddy's: Understanding**

**Chapter 2**

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><p>"Holy...shit."<p>

Mike uttered this quietly to himself when he noticed that Chica and Bonnie had left the stage. His heart started thumping, and he quickly flicked through all the cameras on his screen; he saw Bonnie standing in the supplies room with all the heads in it...looking right at the camera. Mike felt a shiver go down his spine. There was something just...wrong, with the way the robotic rabbit stared. This was not like Bonnie in his childhood; he remembered Bonnie being the laid back type who just liked playing the guitar for the kids. Well, that was the way he came across anyway- no robot had a true personality. And now he was seeing Bonnie for what he really was- a robot with no feelings or emotions. It creeped the new security guard immensely, but quickly put down the monitor when he heard a shuffling sound outside in the right corridor. He flicked on the light outside in time to see a flash of yellow, and without thinking slapped at the 'door' button and a red iron door slammed down.

Chica was staring at him through the window.

Mike swallowed; like Bonnie, the stare the chicken was giving him just felt wrong. The manager of the place had said that the animatronics were harmless, but now he wasn't so sure. Chica looked like she just wanted to murder him, period. She placed her arms on the glass and her lower jaw fell open; she pressed her face to the window and made a breathing sound that sent a chill down Mike's spine, before she abruplty ran off. Mike heaved a sigh of relief, and opened the door. He realised that he had to conserve power as best as possible or he would run out and he was pretty sure he didn't want that to happen. So...this was to be his job for the next few weeks. He should quit. Just over $125 wasn't worth this, surely. Those machines weren't just wondering around, they wanted him dead. He'd rather stay alive.

However, the thought nagged in his head that this was currently the only job he had. He couldn't afford to lose it after only one night and he probably wouldn't find another one; he didn't need that much money, he just needed a little more to purchase those tickets for he and Rachel to board an aeroplane out of there. If all the job involved was watching out for some malfunctioning animatronics and shutting the doors, all the while conserving power...it was certainly not easy, but he was confident that he could do it. He looked at the time; 3:00. Three more hours to spare. He had heard Phone Guy's advice, these things wanted to stuff him into a suit?

He leaned back into the seat, a nervous but daring smile forming on his face.

They'd have to try.

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><p>Foxy was idly scraping his hook against the floor. He had heard the bangs of the doors and Bonnie and Chica moving about. He cocked his head to the side when he heard the two aforementioned animatronics leave the hallways to stand in the party room. Humming a short tune of curiosity to himself, the fox animatronic poked his head through the curtains, first checking if the camera on him was turned off; he wasn't ready to reveal himself yet. After confirming that the guard wasn't observing him, he looked at Bonnie and Chica who hadn't noticed him; the two were talking under their breath so even Foxy couldn't hear, but they seemed annoyed.<p>

"Finally decided to join us?"

Foxy immediately retreated into the curtain in shock of hearing Freddy's voice out of nowhere; "Ack! Don' do tha' te me, ye damn creeper!" he growled, to which Freddy Fazbear himself chuckled lowly and pushed the curtains aside momentarily to enter Pirate Cove. Closing them again behind him, he remained standing as he looked down at the fox who had pulled his knees up to his chest again.

"Come on, Foxy, don't be so jumpy!" Freddy said cheerfully, wagging a finger, "It ill suits you. So...again, my question. You joining us tonight?"

"No," Foxy replied flatly. "I'll leave tenight te yee fellers. Maybe termmorow."

Freddy nodded; they never stuffed the endoskeleton on the first night anyway, the fun in hunting it down would be over too soon then. Foxy tended to make the guards' nights a lot shorter, even if he was...regretful, about it sometimes. Freddy liked Foxy; he had always been of the opinion that the fox had never deserved the public opinion that had been applied to him after '87. Chica and Bonnie felt the same, and while Foxy pretended to be dismissive of them, the bear animatronic knew that the fox appreciated their continued support deep inside. It made Freddy sad whenever a child approached him during the day and asked why Pirate Cove was closed; he preferred not to answer and thankfully the parent came along to keep the kid from getting too close to the animatronics, but sometimes he was forced to give a reply. The best he could come up with was, "Foxy's too sad to come out and play...sorry."

And he was almost right. Even if the fox were allowed to perform again, and wasn't in quite so much a state of disrepair, Foxy just didn't seem as upbeat as he used to be. He doubted that the other would even bother to please children anymore, he just seemed so...apathetic, these days. "Alright. Well, that's okay. We could use your, ah, expertise?" He chuckled. "Pesky endoskeletons just can't seem to last awfully long after you run out, eh?"

Foxy put his head in his hands. "Freddy...what will it take te convince ye?" he asked tiredly, to which the bear cocked his head to the side in questioning. "They be humans! Not endos! When will ye understand tha'?"

Freddy sighed heavily. "There's nothing to understand," he replied with a stern frown. "They aren't humans. Humans don't come here after dark, you know that. It's just endoskeleton after endoskeleton looking for trouble outside their suits."

"Don't ye ever wonder where all these endos be comin' from? Outta' nowhere?" Foxy countered, to which Freddy reacted less calmly now.

"Foxy, we've talked about this!" he hissed. "You don't want to deal with the endos, then fine, leave us to it! But don't be preaching to us about them being human, I mean, why would you even want to stop us? The 'guards' are clearly endos, why go to all that human crap to get us to stop?"

"Because 'tis not crap!" Foxy snapped, getting up with an angry expression. "They be closin' us down, ye know! End of this year, they be closin' us down for good! We'll be shut down, aye, and why? Because ye and the others be MURDERIN' humans every week!"

Freddy's expression darkened considerably, and a part of Foxy wanted to back down; he didn't want to fight with his friends. But the problem was very real. They were going to be de-serviced within a month, for it was after all November, and unless Freddy, Chica and Bonnie got the point they would be put down without ever knowing their crimes, and Foxy would die with a guilty conscience, not just for himself but for them. They were his friends, they deserved to know that they were doing the wrong thing!

"'Tis insane!" he continued; "I don' understand it, I can clearly see they're human, why shouldn' ye be able te see the same-"

"Enough!" Freddy snarled, and Foxy glared but spoke no more. "Do you even know what you sound like," Freddy went on, "with that broken jaw of yours? It's only because I know you so well that I can barely even understand what you're saying! And what I'm hearing is disturbing! Very disturbing! Foxy, I like you, I always have, you know me and the others have always given you our sympathies, but I'm starting to think that maybe you've been in disrepair for too long!" Foxy's jaw dropped, and Freddy nodded. "Yeah, I think you've been in this little cove by yourself, unable to socialise for so long that its started to affect your judgement! What do you say to that?"

"Bull..." murmured Foxy, sitting back down again and curling onto his side, facing away from Freddy. "Ye be talkin' complete bull, matey..." Freddy threw an arm in the air in annoyance and shook his head, whereby Foxy said softly, "Jus'...go. Leave me alone. See ye termorrow..."

Freddy's expression softened in regret but he turned, reluctantly, and left. Bonnie later poked his head through the curtains, and upon seeing Foxy on the floor, whispered, "Hey Foxy, you okay? What happened?"

No response. Bonnie sighed and shrugged, before leaving as well. Foxy just shook a little, wishing that things were different. He hadn't even known he could cry, but black oily liquid was making its way down his cheeks right now. He made no sound, but he couldn't help but despair. It was no use, they just couldn't be convinced. To the point that they seemed willing to believe that his screws were loose rather than believe him; it hurt to know that he was so alone in the knowledge of the consequences from their actions. They didn't want to die either, he knew it, but they didn't think they were doing anything wrong; they could only express confusion as to why the place was being closed in the first place. It was...unnatural. To him, surely _anyone_ would have come around to the truth by now, after so much resistance from one of their friends? Surely, they would at least allow some room into their beliefs for his to ring true? He couldn't wrap his mind around it, but one thing was for certain.

He couldn't gain any comfort from them, and they would die blissfully ignorant. The only way he could die with a marginally less sorrow-ridden conscience would be if he could at least help the new guard live out the week. He knew the others wouldn't attack the guard now anyway, not after he himself had kicked up such a fuss; Freddy would probably tell the others to lay off for the rest of the night. None of them were the type to murder humans- Foxy thought this sourly- when they were feeling down.

He just felt afraid for how they would react to him actively protecting the human. If they truly believed he had lost his mind, then they would probably choose to deal with him and tell themselves it was for the best. He closed his eyes and tried to stop the tears; no. They would never go that far. They couldn't...they were his friends, after all. He had to believe in them. Had to keep trying to convince them no matter what...even if it made him more of an outcast than he was already.

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><p>6:00. Mike yawned and stretched his arms; amazingly, the animatronics hadn't attacked at all after the first incident with Chica, though Bonnie had continued to freak him out by staring into the cameras. Curiously, Freddy had also left the stage at some point and disappeared; during this time Bonnie and Chica had been...talking? Weird. He had continued to watch them every now and then, but nothing of interest had happened. Then Freddy had suddenly exited from Pirate Cove, and Bonnie had looked into it seconds later, then left as well. This lead Mike to wonder what exactly the animatronics had been up to; was Foxy still in the Cove? Still functional? But the idea that they had been having some kind of chat was absurd, they were just animatronics...they didn't have human feelings and mannerisms.<p>

Right?

Either way, the three band robots had returned to the stage and not moved for the rest of the night, and it was time for Mike's shift to end before he even knew it. He got up out of the chair, and walked out of the office; the animatronics were still immobile on their stage, same as they had begun. He glanced towards Pirate Cove again; a shiver went down his spine momentarily before he walked briskly out the doors, into his car and drove off.

He had quite the story to tell. And he was coming back, of this he was certain. He had after all survived the first night...why not try again?

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><p><strong>That's the noble second chapter up, and the first night for Mike has passed without incident. Well, ignoring Chica's overeagerness. Question is: can Foxy protect Mike from the things that are to come? And...<strong>

**Will Mike trust him? Find out, next chapter.**


	3. Rachel

**Dang it, but I love this fanfic to bits and it won't let me rest. Here's another chapter, a little break from the pizzeria initially. Don't worry, things won't be this boring forever...**

**Five Nights at Freddy's: Understanding**

**Chapter 3: Rachel**

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><p>"That's absurd!" Mike's mother snapped when he told his story over breakfast that morning; he had crashed into bed as soon as he arrived, and now just wanted to spend the rest of his day taking it easy before another nights at Freddy's.<p>

"Yeah, I guess it is," Mike shrugged. "It's what happened though."

The old woman shook her head in disbelief, putting a plate of fried eggs on toast in front of him before sitting down herself, muttering, "Place really IS cursed, it's played with your mind, boy! If you were smart I'd suggest you stop working there, find a better job!"

Mike merely shrugged indifferently, tucking eagerly into his eggs, and his mother sighed exasperatedly. Sitting across from him however, Rachel was looking at him oddly; a young girl of sixteen years, with straight long brown hair and green eyes along with freckles on her nose, she wore a nightgown over her somewhat petite body as she had only got up recently. She hadn't heard her father talk as much as he had been not a few minutes ago in a very long time. He was a man of few words, often choosing to speak only when necessary and communicating mostly with body language, which he managed to get across quite well, actually. His story was...bizarre. And the most interesting thing she had heard from him since they got here. "I believe you Dad," she said helpfully, patting his hand on the table whereby he smiled at her, his cheeks bulging slightly with egg and toast, then scrubbed her head with his knuckles affectionately. She giggled.

"You two..." Mike's mother- whose name was Greta- grumbled irritably. "I don't know where the family's gone to."

Mike knuckled her head next and she slapped at his shoulder with a scowl, whereby he and Rachel burst out laughing. Even Greta couldn't resist a small smile from forming, and she got up, declaring, "I'll leave you hooligans to yourselves. I got washing to hang up."

As she left the room, Rachel looked at Mike again; "So...you going back?" she asked, voice lower and slightly more serious. Mike merely nodded, focusing solely on his breakfast now; Rachel put her chin into her hands and watched him eat. "Can I come?"

Mike dropped his fork and coughed a little, sounding like he was choking before he got a hold of himself and glared at her. Swallowing the rest, he countered, "Are you crazy? The place is dangerous, Rache, I'm not doing the job for fun. I need to get us out of here, and this is the only job around that I can see paying me the exact amount needed...sure, it's lousy, and life-threatening, but for those reasons I will not be taking you with me tonight. Nor tommorow, or the next day, or for the rest of the week. No discussion, okay?"

Rachel sighed; she both loved and hated the way her father 'argued' against her, though such times were rare. They always got a long. But when he did have a disagreement, it wasn't even an argument- he didn't shout, or yell, he just gave her 'the look' and chided her, almost calmly, but not as if he were talking to some child. More like he was persuading a friend of his not to do anything stupid. Loved and hated it. "Fine," she huffed, taking some jam-toast into her face and not saying another word. Mike had already been finishing his own breakfast before she had even answered.

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><p>Mike had gone to his bedroom and just fallen asleep again as soon as he had finished his breakfast. He told Greta that he would be getting up later and he would take a shower before going to the pizzeria early. Rachel cleaned up her plate and helped Greta unset the table, then took a quick shower and got dressed into a simple outfit of black blazer over a white sleeveless top, navy denim jeans and a pair of black trainers before leaving the house. Unlike other girls her age who had to go to school, Rachel took home lessons from Greta who had herself been quite a capable teacher before her retirement. And normally, she would be indeed taking these home lessons.<p>

But this week was a bank holiday. The entire week! She skipped with a little joy as she left the house; Greta allowed her to do whatever she wanted with her free time so long as she 'didn't get into trouble' and 'got home before dark'. Rachel obeyed both these rules, as she was a good girl. Mostly. She couldn't quite stop herself from looking for trouble, as she was a bit of a thrill-seeker. Just like her father. She grinned to herself, then decided to make her way to her favourite place in the whole of her father's home town:

Freddy's.

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><p><strong>Later...<strong>

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><p>Rachel pushed the doors open, then took a moment to look at the place again. It was charming- sure, the tiles were a little grimy here and there, and the lighting could be fixed in places, but just look at it! Despite its bad reputation, parents were still here with their kids, and the kids were happily singing along with the animatronics on stage. They didn't look evil or creepy; just three robots having fun with the kids. Completely harmless.<p>

In truth, Rachel was a little doubtful about her father's story, but believed him anyway- the guy never exaggerated his stories, and never lied, so why should he start now? She walked over to a table, near Pirate Cove, and sat down to watch the show. The leather in the seat was crackled a little and made an audible creaking noise as she settled into it, but she didn't mind. She just smiled and watched the animatronics play. She was a thrill-seeker, yes, but the childish part of her wished she was younger and with those other kids right now and singing along. It just seemed so...innocent, and fun. She glanced momentarily to the side, and saw Pirate Cove.

Foxy.

She rested the side of her head into one hand, watching the purple curtains. Her father's old favourite had performed here, apparently. She had heard the audible sadness in his tone when he had described the old days of his childhood where he would be pirating with the other kids, and Capn' Foxy would be taking them on wild adventures to wonderous new lands, saying things like, "Arr!" and "Ahoy there, mateys!" like a real pirate would. And it had been so real for him as well, as if Foxy wasn't just an animatronic, but truly a person who just wanted to make kids happy.

"Ah, looking at ol' Foxy, are we? Sorry, he's out of order..."

Rachel looked to the source of the voice; a tall, slight man with tired looking eyes and balding hair. A tag labelled "Joseph- Manager" was pinned to his modest grey suit, and the man himself was looking wistfully at the curtain. "Been out of order for years now...ever since '87," he continued with a sad sigh. "I was manager then. Got replaced after that, but I got called in again later when the last manager said he couldn't handle the complaints anymore." He turned his head to her with a slight smile; "I'm good at that. So...I noticed you've been coming here a lot the past few weeks. You Mike's daughter?"

She nodded, not saying anything and looking up at him with a collected composure. Joseph nodded as well, his smile having faded somewhat; "Yeah, he told me about you. I'm sorry, where are my manners?" He extended his hand. "I'm Joseph. Manager of Freddy's, been ever since it was bought off the original owner..."

"Rachel," Rachel responded politely as she stood to return the handshake. "I like this place, Mr. Joseph sir. I wish I could have seen it in its glory days..."

"Don't we all wish we still could?" Joseph lamented, but with a kind smile. "I'm sorry for the way it is now, but we're practically broke. Maintaining the place is hard, and we're gonna be shutting down this saturday."

"Saturday?" Rachel blinked, to which Joseph nodded.

"Yeah, saturday. Sooner the earlier, I suppose...and don't worry," he laughed mildly, "I'll pay your father. He did a pretty good job last night. Hope he comes back for tonight as well..."

"Oh, he enjoyed the job," Rachel said reassuringly, "he talked to me and his mom about it this morning, actually. Seemed ecstatic."

"Good, good!" Joseph commended, "America needs more people like him. Tell me Rachel, out of curiosity, which is your favourite of the animatronics? Mine's always been Bonnie, personally..."

Rachel thought of his question as rather odd, but looked over the three animatronics on stage. She couldn't make sure; then she looked towards Pirate Cove. Joseph followed her gaze, and blinked; "Oh, you want to see him? That's okay, I don't mind, just be warned...he is in disrepair." She followed him over to the curtain, whereby he pulled them open slightly and allowed her to clamber up and peer into the shadows. She could barely make out a shape curled up in the corner, and when she took out her phone to shine the light in, what she saw was more than a little saddening.

Foxy was in a terrible state, with his suit ripped up in places, and the lower legs exposed the endoskeleton beneath entirely; his jaw, of what she could see of it as he was turned slightly away from her, was hanging open without restraint. Strangest of all though was the position he was in, almost like a foetal crying position, and she could barely make out oily tracks going down his face. "Huh..." she murmured as she clambered back down and Joseph drew the curtains again, "Joseph...he looks like he was crying or something?"

"Malfunction," Joseph waved it off. "With him it always has been, he's in a terrible state as you've seen...so, what do you think?"

Rachl thought about it, then sighed in uncertainty. "Dunno...they're all cool in their own way," she admitted, "and I can't help but feel a little sorry for Foxy. I suppose...none of them are my favourite. I like them all."

Joseph accepted her answer with a nod, then asked, "So, you having pizza or are you just here for the sights?"

Rachel responded by smiling and pulling out the wallet filled with pocket money Greta had given her for helping out in the housework. "Pizza, of course!"

* * *

><p>As the day wore by, Rachel had gradually migrated across the room to the front where she was now talking with some teenagers who were looking after some of the kids instead of their parents. She laughed and talked, clapped along occasionally to the songs sung by the stage animatronics.<p>

Foxy watched her. He had been in the same crying position that entire day until after the girl and the manager left; he had heard talk of her father being the security guard as well. Out of curiosity or something else, he didn't really know, but he barely opened the curtains enough to see outside and watch her. She was the daughter of the one he had to protect...

_So innocent,_ he thought. _Just like the rest of them. I...I can't allow for her to lose her father._ His resolve strengthened; this guard would be protected, Foxy swore it, no matter what. He felt a lot better than last night, had allowed himself to rebuild his confidence- well, what little confidence there was- and now he felt like he could do it. He didn't want to hurt his friends but if it came to that, then it was their own fault due to their own blindness. He decided he couldn't let his compassion for them get in the way of what was right, meaning that if they did choose to hurt him...

...well then he'd have to resort to the same and defend himself. He continued to watch the girl, then blinked as the doors to the pizzeria opened and the security guard walked in, clad in his uniform and cap. He spotted his daughter and came over, ruffled her head affectionately whereby she laughed; they clearly were very close. He then said something to her and she looked sad, but nodded. It was around now that people started to clear out; Foxy guessed, judging by the lack of light outside the pizzeria, it was getting late. The guard's shift would probably start within two hours.

The girl followed the other people out, waving goodbye to her father, then was gone. The manager came over and had a quick word with the guard, seemed to congratulate him for last night. The guard merely shrugged and smiled ruefully; Foxy decided that this security guard was probably a little crazy. Who would come back to a job like his, with a smile like that? Almost as if he thought it was a challenge. Regardless of the man's thoughts on his job however, Foxy's mindset remained the same- here was the man he had to protect, and protect him he would. He had lasted the first night.

Now he had to do his duty.

* * *

><p>As the place closed down proper and the limited power generator came on, and 11:45 rolled around, Mike sat down in his chair and got mentally prepared for the job ahead. Foxy settled into the cove, peeking out now and then to check on things. The animatronics on stage didn't move anything except their eyes.<p>

And Rachel, who had snuck in beneath her father's notice before her father locked the doors, was currently thinking of a way she could get out from under one of the party tables without being seen by anybody.

Night two was about to begin.

* * *

><p><strong>And so there we are. The stage is set- beware, the next chapter will have a lot in it, and things will take an interesting turn. Can Foxy protect Mike, and can Rachel keep herself out of trouble? And will the band animatronics ever come to their senses?<br>**

**All you have to do is wait, and review.**


	4. Night 2

**Okay, after a long wait, it's here: Chapter 4. Sorry for the delay, people, I haven't had the motivation or time in a while to continue this, but I have it now and I'm following though.**

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><p><strong>Five Nights at Freddy's: Understanding<strong>

**Chapter 4: Night 2**

* * *

><p>Hiding under the party table, Rachel was contemplating her options. She didn't want her dad to see her. Not yet, anyway. But neither did she want to be found by the animatronics, if they truly were alive. She had snuck in under his notice before he had closed the doors; it had been a moment of sheer brilliance, and daring; turning, she had rushed in when Mike had been occupied elsewhere and practically dove underneath the party tables. She was now somewhere between glad that she had done it, and...not so glad. If he was telling the truth, then chances were that she would probably be killed.<p>

She giggled to herself. The thought was morbid to say the least, but she got the memo; better to be safe and not seen than sorry. But at the same time...she did want in on the action. She had to get to her father's office without being seen. He would probably be cowed that his own daughter had succeeded in outsmarting him where the animatronics had failed. Lifting the tablemat in front of her face, she saw that it had gotten darker now, and after a glance at her wristwatch, discovered that it was 11:55.

Now, she was set on sneaking on her father but at the same time didn't really feel up to encountering one of the animatronics when it started moving...she would have to get to the office fast. She glanced at the camera nearest to her; it wasn't flashing red, so she assumed it meant Mike wasn't watching. Crawling from underneath the table, she got up and quickly skittered away towards the nearest door: the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Mike looked one more time at the display, which now read 12:00. He smirked and settled into the chair; showtime. He flicked the camera onto the stage area, and saw the three band animatronics standing there...looking into the camera. He shivered. Damn, but they just couldn't help looking creepy. The phone rang again and he listened idly to the one he had mentally dubbed 'Phone Guy' speak, interested in what the recorded message had to say. He seemed to know more about what was going on than Mike did, and had thus far offered sound advice.<p>

However, when he mentioned Foxy Mike's eyebrow raised. Hmm...so Foxy was out to get him too? Well, okay then. He flicked the camera onto Pirate Cove and saw nothing of interest. He flicked it back to the stage and sucked in a sharp breath upon seeing that Bonnie was already off-stage. He flicked through the cameras, and saw him nowhere. Furrowing his brows, he looked to his left. Couldn't hurt...he flicked the button labelled "LIGHT".

Bonnie was looking right at him.

Mike drew a sharp breath and pounded the "DOOR" button and the metal slab slammed down, blocking the robotic rabbit from any further entrance. Making his way carefully over to the window, he saw Bonnie look at him briefly, head tilted to the side, then walk off back down the hallway almost in a carefree way. Mike could have sworn the animatronic had had a menacing grin on his face. The security guard raised the door again and sat down heavily in his seat, breathing s quick sigh of relief. _Wow...they're coming for me already? Damn...it's only 12:10 since Phone Guy's call ended and they're already after my guts. I've got to be more careful...they're probably more aggressive this time around or something._

He gathered his composure and flicked through the monitors again, noting that Chica was off the stage as well. After some more flicking he gathered that Chica was in the bathrooms and Bonnie was now in the backstage area. He breathed a sigh of relief; at least they weren't any closer to him. He looked again at Pirate Cove and nearly had a heart attack when he noticed Foxy poking his head through the curtains.

Foxy! Oh, his old favourite! He was more excited than afraid, admittedly, and even though the glimpse of the animatronic was a small one it was enough to energise him. Shame that the fox robot was unable to perform during the day...though the way Phone Guy had described him, Mike was somewhat uncertain that he really wanted to get to know Foxy in the nightime.

He flicked the cameras again, and noticed that Chica was no longer in the bathrooms. He flicked the camera to the kitchens, which was audio only, and was alarmed to hear a lot of scrambling around.

What the heck was going on?!

* * *

><p>Foxy waited for the camera to look away, then took his chances. He wasn't aware of the sounds of struggle coming from the kitchen- right now his objective was to get to the man as fast as possible so he could warn him and protect him from the others. He readied himself, then burst out of the curtains and, feet making audible clanking sounds as they struck the ground, he tore down the hallway like a madman. He knew this would probably get him locked out of the office but if he could just get there in time-!<p>

The door clanged down and Foxy whined in frustration, pounding on the door a few times, before looking in through the window. The security guard was looking in his direction, fear very evident on his face. Foxy sighed, and tapped at the window once or twice, jerking his head in the direction of the door and trying to put on his best smile. With his broken jaw though, this failed to look appeasing and Mike just shook his head vigourously for a definite no. Foxy tried speaking next:

"Now, come on. I'm here te help ye, not kill ye. Trust me, I know better than the others ou' there, you gotta believe me!" However, his speech came out garbled and it seemed only to intimidate Mike more, who glared and crossed his arms for another firm 'NO'. Foxy wrung his arms in exasperation and turned away to walk down the hallway. He admitted he had gone about it perhaps a little too quickly, but he needed to get to the human as fast as possible. As he made his way back to the cove, Freddy looked at him from the stage; the bear's gaze was knowing, and Foxy glared, before turning to the curtains.

That was when the teenage girl he remembered from earlier that day burst in from the kitchens, screaming, with Chica chasing after her. Foxy didn't even think.

He just reacted.

* * *

><p>Rachel had entered the kitchens at a rush, and looked around the dark interior; there was no lights here, but she supposed she could wait out in here until the animatronics were gone from the stage for her to move safely towards the office. Why would an animatronic need to go to the kitchen, anyway? She stayed by the door, peeking through to see when the coast would be clear. She watched like that for a few minutes, and it was to her great shock that Freddy actually <em>moved <em>and looked towards Bonnie. The purple rabbit nodded, then put down his guitar and started to make a beeline straight for the security office.

Rachel could feel herself shiver when Bonnie left her vision. So her father really had been telling the truth. Mind, she had believed him on some level but to actually see the truth for herself...entirely different story. She checked her wristwatch; 12:05. She tapped her foot as she continued to watch the stage; come on, move already!

However, it was when Bonnie returned and went backstage that Chica decided to move as well...straight towards her. Rachel panicked, looking around herself frantically, then grabbed a pot and hid behind the table on the opposite side from the door. She didn't know what good a pot could do against a robot but she hoped she wouldn't have to find out. She flinched when the door opened suddenly and Chica's shadow fell across the floor; entering the room, the animatronic closed the door behind her and she started opening random cupboards and drawers, taking things out. Rachel closed her eyes tight and kept the pot close to herself, hoping against hope that the chicken animatronic woldn't spot her.

Then the clattering stopped abruptly, and as Rachel strained her ears, she could vaguely hear the sound of one of the animatronics running really fast outside down the far hall towards her father's office. She hoped he would be okay. But suddenly there was no sound within the kitchen at all, no movement, no whirring, nothing except for a laboured breathing that was really close to her and made her uncomfortable. She couldn't see anything-

The table was pushed to the side roughly and Rachel bit back a yell as Chica loomed over her, jaw hanging open and endoskeleton teeth showing clearly. The girl scrambled back as the robot chicken made to grab her, and threw the pot at its head, to no real effect. Chica grabbed a nearby cheese grater and went to hit Rachel over the head with it but she dodged, causing Chica to swipe several objects clattering off a nearby counter. This created a loud ruckus and Rachel flinched from all the falling crockery and such, but got up and proceeded to scramble for the door. Chica X-screamed and charged after her, whereby Rachel screeched in fear and barged through the door, running towards Pirate Cove out of sheer instinct and out of not really knowing what she was doing.

It nearly stopped her heart when she saw Foxy come around the corner of the hallway as if in slow-motion, but when he turned his head in their direction, it looked as if he was surprised somehow, with his eyebrows raising and actual eyes widening. His jaw, hanging agape as it usually did, nevertheless helped to add onto the whole surprised effect. Then time sped up again and he was sprinting towards her; she closed her eyes but kept running, and she was wishing she hadn't come here and oh god she was going to die-!

There was a clang of metal behind her and she opened her eyes again to turn and see Foxy had collided with Chica, sending the chicken animatronic onto her back. Foxy turned to her, and warbled in a barely legible but concerned voice, "Go! Te yer father's office, go ye stupid landlubber, stop starin' like tha' or yer dead!"

Rachel was immobilised with shock- he had saved her?!- but the urgency in his tone told her to get a move on, and she turned away to look down the hallway. It was completely empty! She sprinted down the corridor.

* * *

><p>Mike watched in disbelief as his daughter sprinted down the corridors after surviving an encounter in which both Foxy and Chica had almost got her, and immediately lifted the door which he had previously slammed upon hearing the commotion in the party area. Rachel burst into the room, and Mike stood up instantly and embraced his shaking wreck of a daughter tightly, saying in a constrained and panicky tone, "What are you doing here, Rach? What were you even thinking? I told you not to stay here, you know it's dangerous! Didn't you believe what I told you?"<p>

"I-I-I did believe you," Rachel stammered, looking up at Mike with fearful eyes. "I just wanted to see for myself...oh my god, dad, they're so scary!"

"Don't worry, " he assured gently now, patting her back and looking briefly at the monitors. The cameras showed that the animatronics were having some kind of conflict in the party area. Didn't matter to him, so long as they were occupied. "You're safe here with me. You'll have to stay here the rest of the night, but no more stunts like that, okay? You should have just come straight to me, not go hiding in the kitchen..."

Rachel blushed in light embarrassment. "I didn't want to be seen by the animatronics either..." she murmured, to which Mike rolled his eyes. He let her go and she looked up at him with a brightness in her eyes. "Dad, Foxy saved me! I might have gotten caught by Chica if he didn't crash into her, and he even told me to run!"

Mike was doubful of this. As much as he liked to believe that his old favourite was on their side, the fox animatronic had been almost psychotic in his sprint down the hallway to get at him. Though it had appeared he had tried to negotiate with him after the door was closed, Mike wasn't taking any chances. Besides, if he were fox-like in nature then it would be credible that he had been attempting to outsmart Mike, and the security guard wasn't about to let two isloated events earn his trust. "I don't know," he admitted honestly. "It looked like he was charging at you, to be honest, and it might have been bad luck on his part that he ended up crashing into Chica instead. Besides, his jaw's broken so you couldn't have heard anything...and he's a robot, why would he need to protect you? He attacked me, and the guy on the phone told me they're all just trying to stuff us into suits because they think we're exoskeletons outside our suits."

"Really?" Rachel challenged him; "Then look at the monitor."

Mike hesitated, then looked at what was transpiring in the party room.

* * *

><p>After Foxy had taken Chica to the ground, he kept her pinned down until he felt certain that the kid had reached the office. Then he got up of a perplexed Chica who demanded, "Foxy, what the hell was that?! I almost had her!"<p>

"Aye," Foxy glowered. "Tha's why I had te stop ye. She's a little girl, Chica...a little lass tha' doesn't need to die like everyone else ye've helped kill!"

"I've killed no-one!" Chica growled, getting up and glaring at the fox. "You're constantly spouting this nonsense, what's gotten ino you? And what possessed you to run out at me like that?"

"He's losing it," Freddy said airily, his low, smooth yet deep voice creeping across from the stage. "It's sadly obvious that Foxy's self-imposed isolation is causing him to lose grip on reality."

Before Foxy had a chance to respond, Bonnie came from the backstage with an angry look on his face. "Hey! You two, shut it! I won't hear anything bad about Foxy from anybody, not even you, Freddy!" he snarled, moving to Foxy's side. "We've known Foxy all our lives, he's never done a spot of wrong to us!"

"He attacked me!" Chica exclaimed indignantly, and Freddy shook his head, coming down from the stage. "Be quiet, Bonnie...do you or do you not see an endoskeleton inside the office everytime you look into it? Or, as Foxy claims, do you see...a human?"

Bonnie rubbed the back of his head, rage fading away to uncertainty; "Well...I, uh...see an endo, of course..." he murmured, "it's obvious. I still don't get why you don't see it that way-" He directed this at Foxy- "but it is an endo, no doubt about it. But!" He clenched his fist and glared at Freddy, "That doesn't mean Foxy's losing his mind! If he was, what would you do about it anyway?"

"Put him out of his misery," Freddy calmly answered, causing Bonnie and even Chica to go slack-jawed. "But...Freddy..." Chica stammered, "that's a little harsh, isn't it? I mean, he's Foxy! He's one of us, one of the band, right from the start! Right, Foxy?"

Foxy didn't answer; he was looking at Freddy, outraged, anger boiling up inside him at the bear who dared to consider such a thing; his stare was dark, a look that would inspire fear and intimidation in anyone.

Anyone except Freddy, that is.

"He's not part of the band," Freddy corrected. "He's a stranded pirate, alone on his little desert island with nothing but his hook and eyepatch. He's gone past his time, and he's slowly starting to slip...Foxy, do you know what people did to dangerous pirates in real life?" When Foxy again didn't dignify an answer, Freddy walked up to him, causing Bonnie to back off, ears floppy while he held his hands together apologetically. Freddy uttered lowly, "They string the pirates up, and hang them in the gallows. We have no gallows, or string, but if you keep doing what you did tonight...I will personally make sure myself that you are granted your own peace, if the others are too afraid to do it themselves." He poked the fox animatronic twice in the chest; "We have a duty to the children and adults in the daytime. Letting endoskeletons run around without their suits is dangerous, and could scare the children to death...after the accident in '87, I thought you would have cared more, Foxy."

That struck a nerve, and Foxy's ears went down as his head drooped. "Don' talk te me about '87," he mumbled almost incoherently. "You know I care for the children...that wasn't my fault."

"I know it wasn't," Freddy assured gently, patting Foxy's arm. "But by doing this, by being selfish, you're putting the kids at risk. Do you want that?"

Foxy's head shot up, and he outright yelled, "I'M NOT BEIN' SELFISH! YER JUS' BEIN' BLIND!" He lashed out and struck a surprised Freddy in the face with his bare endoskeleton fist, who stumbled and fell onto his bottom, elicting gasps from Bonnie and Chica. After getting over his surprise, Freddy's face darkened. "There will be consequnces," he promised ominously. "You can't do this, Foxy...you'll either get in line or suffer. Understand me?"

"Bugger off," Foxy spat and retreated to Pirate Cove, drawing the curtains firmly shut.

Chica was helping Freddy off the floor, but Bonnie looked at the closed curtains agape. "I've never seen Foxy like this before," he said in shocked uncertainty. "It's just not like him...like he really believes his own lies..."

"He's completely off his rocker," Chica stated guiltily. "I was hoping it wasn't true, but...to attack us...I don't know..."

"It doesn't matter," Freddy said flatly, dusting himself off. "If he knows what's good for him, he'll keep himself in the Cove. Get back to work...we still have a few hours left."

* * *

><p>"You see that?" Rachel said excitedly; "You could even hear them talking!"<p>

"It just doesn't make sense," Mike sighed, shaking his head. "So, what, is Foxy like an outcast to them? He seems to be the only one who gets that we're not endoskeletons...there's got to be something wrong with the others."

"So, d'you believe me? That he tried to save me?" Rachel pressed, and Mike sighed again, replying, "Well, after what we've just seen, it's hard not to believe you...he's clearly not mentally unstable, he knows what we really are and he seems to care for the kids a lot in the daytime, even though he can't interact with them." A look of sadness crossed his face; "They all seem to care for the kids...but they have actual personalities. It's perplexing, I never knew robots could be this advanced...they almost speak and act human. Unfortunately the three on stage appear to be malfunctioning..."

"So Foxy's on our side?" Rachel asked, looking crestfallen. "Freddy said he was going to hurt him if he tried to help us anymore. Can we count on him?"

"I don't know," Mike admitted. "Foxy seemed determined...but he looked a little violent too. If he does decide to help us I hope he can control himself...and no matter how much he wants to help, there are three of them and one of him. He can't take them all on if they decide he's too dangerous to live, which they probably will eventually..."

There was silence as father and daughter thought about what they had just witnessed on camera. Mike looked at his watch; they still had a bit of time ahead of them and the band animatronics didn't seem deterred by the event. "Rachel, watch the left door for me," Mike instructed, standing and taking the miniature TV with him to stand by the right door. "I'll stand here and keep checking the cameras. The moment you see an animatronic coming down that hallway- even if it's Foxy!- shut that door, okay? We'll survive the night if we work together."

"Okay, Dad!" Rachel chirped, and did as instructed, closing the door immediately when she saw Bonnie leaning in.

And so the hours passed, the two working together side by side; Bonnie and Chica were sluggish in their attempts to get in the room, as if the whole conversation from before still weighed heavily on their minds. Rachel felt somewhat sorry for them; they were only doing what they thought was their duty, and there was apparently no malice in their stalking of the pizzeria. But in the end she reminded herself that they could and would kill her if given the chance, so she didn't hesitate once. Peeking down the hallway, she caught the glimpse of Foxy's snout poking out from the curtain every now and then, only to retreat when Bonnie entered her field of vision and shook his head disparagingly before making his way down the hallway.

* * *

><p>Eventually 6:00 struck, and just in time as well. Rachel's incessant closing of her door drained a lot of the battery despite Mike repeatedly warning her against overusing it, and by now the battery percentage was 10%. Gingerly, the two walked out from the left hallway, and confirmed that the aimatronics were immobile on the stage. They went into the kitchen first to clear up the spilled pots and pans, putting the main table back in place, so that it looked lke nothing had happened.<p>

The time came to leave, and as Mike was searching through his keys to unlock the door, Rachel glanced towards Pirate Cove.

Foxy's snout and eyes could barely be made out, watching them go. Rachel's skin crawled, but she forced herself to calm down and waved a little hopefully towards the half-hidden animatronic. He disappeared, and she sighed. Mike called her name and she went out the door, which he held open and closed behind them, then got into Mike's car. He did the same, and started it, the old engine guttering to life, and they left the parking lot, off towards Greta's home.

Night two accomplished, Mike thought. Now to explain to his mother why Rachel hadn't come home.

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><p><strong>Wow, so that was a lot. I finally got around to it, sorry it took so long. Mike has survived two nights at Freddy's, and Rachel has survived the second with him. Foxy has finally made his stance very clear to the others, and may have to defend himself in the future from the ones he once called 'friends'. But why won't they see the real way of things? And can Mike, Rachel and even Foxy hope to survive the wrath of the band animatronics as they inevitably get more crafty and harder to deal with as the week progresses?<strong>

**Next chapter, things may get a little ominous. Stay tuned.**


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